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GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Family and friends of the 1st Inland Cargo Transfer Company, 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade were on hand Jan. 18 at the 1st ICTC motor pool here to bid final farewells to Soldiers of 1st Platoon, 1st ICTC as they departed for a 12-month rotation to Iraq.
The Nighthawks of the 1st ICTC conducted 18 inspections in Grafenwöhr, Vilseck, Hohenfels, Bamberg and Ansbach, certified more than 150 containers and 200 pieces of rolling stock, and trained on convoy and recovery operations in Schweinfurt. They also inspected 550 containers in four days during round-the-clock training at Miesau Army Depot and executed road-to-war training while simultaneously conducting more than 90 support missions for units and organizations within the Bavarian footprint, said 1st ICTC Commander Capt. Jason Oradat.
While in Iraq, the Soldiers will be conducting cargo transfer operations in a central receiving and shipping point yard. For many of the Soldiers it will be their first deployment.
“I’m extremely excited and ready to go,” said Pfc. Ashliegh Wilkerson, a human resources specialist with the 1st ICTC and a native of Middletown, Ohio.
Pvt. Zachery Klippstein, a cargo specialist with the 1st ICTC and a native of Lawton, Okla., kissed his wife Katiria and his week-old son Trevyn goodbye.
“While my husband is away I do feel secure in knowing my family has the support of the company and battalion,” Mrs. Klippstein said.
However, not all Soldiers will be deploying for the very first time.
“This is all part of the job. It is Army life,” said Spc. Eric Noveda, who has been deployed three times. His wife, Sharon, and two sons, Adrian, 11, and Mark, 7, were with their father to see him off.
As always with the 18th CSSB, the company- and battalion-level family readiness groups are in place to support the military families both in Germany and in the U.S.
“You are the ones with the hard job ahead,” said Lt. Col. Reed Hudgins, 18th CSSB commander, to the families of 1st Platoon, 1st ICTC. “The deploying Soldiers are able to go downrange and do their jobs knowing the full support of their company and battalion is behind them, but it is you, here behind, who are the ones with the worry and fear. You support your Soldier, and we will support you.”
